Maybe It's Just the Wedding
by nothingisinevitable
Summary: Tony notices Ziva isn't acting like herself at Jimmy's wedding reception. When he tries to cheer her up, what feelings may arise? Will a simple wedding reception turn into something more? Tony/Ziva pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody, even though I only just made an account here I'm definitely not new to the site. I've been hanging around for ages lol and only just now decided to make an account.**

**This isn't my first fanfiction but it is the first one I've posted on this site. It's also the first Tony/Ziva fanfiction I've published, though, again, not the first one I've written lol. **

**Anyway this idea came into my head as I was thinking about the finale and Jimmy's wedding. It's a bit of sadness and humour and romance all mixed in. But mostly romance. Hope you guys enjoy. Comment if you feel like it :). **

Tony scanned through the crowd of people at Jimmy and Breena's wedding reception with one target in mind: Ziva. After two scans of the room he was almost convinced that she wasn't there. After all, he hadn't seen her for half an hour and it was quite possible that she had slipped out of the room during all the commotion and celebrations to go home for the night. He was hoping that she hadn't, and got his wish when he finally spotted her at a table in the corner furthest away from him. She was sitting alone, facing toward the crowd and seemed to be pretending to pay attention to the happy couples and children on the dance floor near her. Tony could tell that she was definitely not enjoying herself, however.

He thought back to a few months ago when Ziva had been happily in a relationship and had her own chance of marriage. He would think that for someone who's just recently gotten out of a serious relationship, a wedding was not exactly a happy environment.

She'd been polite and happy and appropriately excited for the couple during the ceremony (most likely because she was on display for all to see), but now, during the reception, she seemed far away and unhappy, unwilling to socialise much and consuming much more alcohol than she probably should. He could only assume that her unhappiness was due to thoughts of Ray and what could've been. He knew that she was potentially ready to settle down, and now that marriage and the idea of a family had been within her reach, it all probably seemed helplessly too far away now.

He slowly made his way through the sea of chatting, laughing guests to where she sat. She didn't seem to notice his approach, or at least made no effort to acknowledge him as he got closer to her, and that concerned him. Either she really was that far off in her own world, or she was just ignoring him (which was bad anyway). He walked around to the back of the table and pulled out the chair next to her, which seemed to catch her attention. She looked at him questioningly as he sat down and scooted a bit closer to her. He gave her a small smile.

"Hi."

She continued to look at him with that cute little confused look on her face.

"Um...hi." She answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it is Jimmy's wedding, and this is the reception, so I figured I should probably attend."

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I mean...what are you doing..._here_, sitting next to me. I would have thought you would be chatting away with McGee or Abby or one of Breena's cousins or something. Not sitting here next to me, the girl who clearly nobody is taking any notice of."

"I'm taking notice of you, Ziva. I noticed two hours ago that you seemed a little down. Then I noticed that you'd been drinking a little too much, and then I noticed that I had no idea where you were because you hadn't even spoken to me in almost an hour." Ziva dropped her gaze from his and picked up her glass of wine, taking another sip. "So why have you been doing all of those things, I wonder?"

Ziva shrugged as if it didn't matter that she was sitting alone in the corner at a wedding reception. "Maybe I am simply not in a party mood. Maybe I enjoy sitting by myself and maybe I feel like drinking more than I should because I have just realised that I have to put up with a goofball of a partner for goodness knows how long." She said teasingly.

He chuckled. "'Goodness knows how long'? So you plan on sticking with me for a while then?"

He noticed that he'd actually managed to pull a smile out of her. She glanced up at him briefly before turning her eyes back to the dance floor. "If you will have me." She mumbled softly before taking another sip of her wine. "And, if Gibbs will have me." She added.

"Of course I'll have you, Ziva. I'd probably be miserable if you weren't here."

"Really?"

"Well, I can tell you from experience that I've been miserable every other time you weren't there." He paused briefly as some more upsetting memories came back to him. That time he realised that she wasn't getting on the plane that was taking them back to D.C. The moment he realised he hadn't heard from her in months. Then, hearing that her ship had been lost in a storm and there were no survivors. The moment when it hit him that she was dead.

Or so he thought.

"I really struggled back then, Ziva. When we all thought you were gone. Nothing really made sense to me after that. I barely even payed attention to what I was doing. I felt like more of a robot than a human being. Like I wasn't even controlling my own body."

She didn't say anything. Just looked down at her hands in her lap and listened.

"When we made the plan to go and take Saleem out, we weren't sure what we were going to find. For some reason, I was expecting to find your dead body lying in the middle of some dirty, dark, cold room. I guess, by that point, my mind had accepted the fact that you were gone. Not that I didn't still expect to see you sitting at your desk every morning, because I did. I'd get excited about something and say to myself 'I'll have to tell Ziva and McGee tomorrow', but then realise I'd have to settle with just telling McGee because I remembered you weren't there anymore. It wasn't a feeling of you leaving us, it was more of a feeling of you being taken from us.

"And that's what brought on the hunger for vengeance. I knew that bastard had something to do with it, and I had my mind set on taking him out if it was the last thing I ever did."

He heard her sniffle a little.

"And guess what? I did. We did. We took him out, and you were alive, by some miracle, and we brought you back home. And I'm so glad we did, because I was miserable without you."

She finally raised her head up to look at him, and he saw that her eyes were shimmering from unshed tears.

"Tony..." She said softly, "Why did you just tell me all of that? Why here? Why now?"

He took a moment to think before he answered, never breaking eye contact with her. "I wanted to remind you that you're important, and loved, and cared about. I just wanted you to realise that you matter to me."

Ziva smiled softly, still holding back her tears, and nodded. "You matter to me too, Tony. Probably much more than I have ever bothered to tell you." She reached her hand out across the table to where his was resting and lay her hand on top of his. He stared at it as she started rubbing small circles on the back of his knuckles, as if to comfort him. Eventually, their gazes both travelled back to each other.

"As much as I pretend otherwise, Tony, I really do enjoy having you around." He grinned at that, his expression picking back up. "And I am enjoying your company right now, also."

"Would you still enjoy my company if I asked you to do something you probably don't want to do?" He asked tentatively.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

She saw him grin and then felt his hand move from under hers to grasp onto it. He started to stand up and she felt him tug at her arm, willing her to stand also. "Come on, Ziva. You've been sitting in this chair for far too long."

"Tony, what on earth-"

"We're going to dance."

"No, Tony."

"Yes, Ziva." He insisted as he finally managed to get her on her feet. "I promise I won't step on your feet."

"Uh-huh." She mumbled, unbelieving. "That is not necessarily my concern."

"Then what is?" He asked as they made it to the dance floor, Tony guiding her to a random spot and turning towards her.

She smirked slightly as he turned to face her and made a big show about placing his hand on her waist and lifting up their joined hands. "My concern is that you will embarrass me." She said as he started moving them around a little. "For starters, do not do that." She pulled their raised hands down and tried to halt their somewhat swift movements across the floor.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Act as if we are waltzing."

"Well what If I want to waltz?" He asked cheekily.

"Would you like me to go and sit back down?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and pretending to move away from him.

"No! No, stay please." He pleaded, pulling her back towards him and wrapping both his arms around her waist this time. She laughed lightly at his eagerness for her to stay and hesitantly raised her own arms to hang loosely around his neck. She could feel him watching her and avoided his eyes.

"I don't bite you know."

"What?" She asked.

"You just seemed very hesitant to put your arms around me just then. I just wanted you to know that I don't bite."

She shook her head at him. "I know you don't bite. It is just that, we are partners and...this seems a little...like something two partners and friends should not be doing."

"What, waltzing?" He asked with a teasing look in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes and glanced away from him. "Never mind."

"No, Ziva, I'm sorry. Look, just...tell me what's on your mind. Please?" He said apologetically.

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before she realised that he actually might want to hear what she had to say.

She took a deep breath to help get the words out. "This just feels different." She admitted. "That is the only way I can describe it. I do not just feel like your friend right now."

He took a moment to think about this. "Why do you think you're feeling that way?" He asked, continuing to move them slowly around in the little rhythm they'd fallen into.

"I do not know." She sighed. "Maybe it is just the wedding, or the fact that I have had too much to drink, or maybe even because of the conversation we just had, but I just feel closer to you, somehow." She shook her head again. "I do not know if that sounds weird."

"No, it doesn't sound weird at all. I actually kind of understand the feeling." He said quietly. Ziva lifted her head back up to meet his eyes with a slightly surprised expression on her face. Soon, a smile spread across her face. Tony had to admit, the desire to kiss her right now, with her in his arms, was overwhelming.

"This is nice." She concluded. "I am not entirely sure what this feeling is, but it is something like happy and carefree and something else all mixed into one. You know what I mean?"

He nodded slightly as he held her gaze. "I think I might know what that other feeling is, too."

She looked curiously at him. "What?" She whispered.

He didn't answer her with words. Instead, he tightened his hold on her, effectively pulling her closer, and her breath hitched as her own arms instinctively tightened around his neck, too.

"Kind of feels like you're floating, right?" He spoke softly, the two of them now so close together that their chests were touching.

All Ziva could do was swallow nervously and nod, finding it hard to look anywhere except his lips which were now dangerously close. She realised that she wouldn't have any objections if he were to kiss her right now. In fact, she wanted him to kiss her. It had been far too long since she last felt his lips, and she was curious to know if they still felt the same. Would they still feel soft and inviting? Would he kiss her with the same passion when they were undercover or would a kiss between them now be slow, deep and meaningful? She had barely enough time for these thoughts to cross her mind before Tony leant down the remaining inches between them and joined their lips together with a sweet softness.

Ziva's eyes fluttered closed as she savoured the current feel of his lips on her own. She was right. They still felt soft and warm and he still kissed her with certainty and definitely without hesitation, but the fiery, hot passion he'd kissed her with all those years ago was not present. There was a different type of passion in his kiss. A passion that held more meaning behind it, a little bit more need and whole heap of longing. It made her feel as if she could stay attached to his lips for all of time and die a very happy woman.

Tony could feel a unique sense of happiness that he hadn't felt in a long time wash over him. It was a similar feeling to the time when Ziva kissed him on the cheek after her return to NCIS. It was also similar to how he felt when Ziva had voluntarily allowed him to hug her after Mike had died last year. And now, she was voluntarily allowing him to kiss her for as long as he liked, it seemed.

He sensed a slight urgency in her kiss that told him she wanted to move things along. He was not going to deny her, that's for sure. He moved his lips slowly but surely against hers, parting slightly and pulling away a centimetre or so before joining their lips back together again. By this point they had stopped moving their feet altogether and he could feel Ziva's hand come up to grasp onto his hair. He could tell her breathing had sped up along with his as their public make-out continued. Tony was vaguely aware of people moving away from them to let them have their moment. He was also aware that they had only really been kissing for about ten seconds and it was already the best ten seconds of his life.

Ziva could feel herself getting dizzy from the kiss as he held her close against his body. She took a leap of faith and flicked her tongue across his bottom lip, testing the waters. He eagerly reciprocated and let his own tongue come between her lips. She moaned softly into his mouth at the feel of him and the fact that they seemed to be completely in sync, as if they'd been doing this for years. _Maybe that's how it is with soulmates_. She thought to herself.

She pulled back from his lips in need of air and rested her head against his. They loosened their holds on each other as they both tried to catch their breath. Tony was watching Ziva's face but she was unaware of his gaze as her eyes were closed, possibly to try and savour the moment.

After taking a few deep breaths Ziva finally opened her eyes, only to stare straight back into Tony's. Even just looking at him gave her the urge to tilt her head up and kiss him again, but she knew that doing that in the middle of a dance floor full of crowded people for a second time was probably not the best idea. Instead she removed her arms from around his neck, only to grab his left hand with her right. Tony briefly glanced at their hands and looked back up at her with a questioning look.

Ziva glanced around and spotted a glass door which led to an outside patio. She tugged him forwards. "Come with me." She ushered, pulling him towards it. Tony just glanced briefly around the room and followed her without argument.

After all, privacy sounded like a pretty good idea right now.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this. It will probably be a two shot or maybe even a bit longer depending on whether or not my brain comes up with anything else to add. **

**Thank you for reading :).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

**Sorry I took so long for this chapter but I'm at Uni at the moment and I have a job so I don't have heaps of spare time to write. (er...type? lol).**

**Anyway, I just wanted to say that WOW I am so shocked at the response for the first chapter. I literally went to bed that night and woke up to like, 22 emails. So thank you all for reading, and favouriting, and alerting, and whatever other stuff you guys do!**

**Just so you all know, this whole chapter is basically making out, so...**

**Not that you guys will mind, I'm sure. :)**

**On with the chapter...**

As soon as Ziva had pulled him through the doors and into the fresh air, she started to look around again. He continued to hold on to her hand as she spotted some sort of swinging chair on the porch and pulled him towards it.

Tony had to admit, Palmer and Breena had picked a really nice place for the reception. Outside on the porch, he noticed that there was a beautiful view, with not much else in sight for miles. It was almost nightfall and Tony could make out the beginnings of a sunset in the sky. All in all, it was turning out to be a _very _enjoyable night.

Ziva had sat down on the swinging chair and pulled him down next to her. He leant back and motioned for her to do the same, placing his arm around her as they stared off into the distance, both not really looking at anything in particular. After their rather intimate moment on the dance floor, neither really knew how to start this next conversation.

Then again, did they need to have this long, complicated conversation right now? _No, _Tony decided. _We don't. I'll just do what comes naturally._

And in that moment, as he tilted his head to look at her profile, he thought she had never looked so perfect. The late afternoon sun was glowing across her face and cast a yellow light around the outline of her hair. The graceful smile on her face just added even more to her beauty. He knew he wanted to kiss her again. He knew that he _had_ to kiss her again.

Tony moved his free arm which wasn't resting behind her and reached around for her cheek, pulling her face gently towards him. As she resisted a little, still transfixed on the sight of the forming sunset in front of them, he placed a light kiss on her cheek first to get her attention. Ziva's focus shifted to him after that, that graceful smile still visible on her face. She looked into his eyes for a moment, before moving her head ever so slightly forward, as if giving him an invitation to kiss her again.

Tony moved forward the rest of the way, his hand still on her cheek, and their lips touched gently for a moment. He pulled back and took another breath before joining their lips more surely this time. Ziva seemed quite content with keeping still for the moment, as if willing him to take the lead, and merely reached up her own hand to rest against the side of his neck. Her thumb started rubbing lightly across a spot on his chin, sending a tingle through him, making him feel a little giddy.

He started moving his lips slowly against hers, and they quickly fell into an easy rhythm, with neither showing any need to speed up the kiss this time. It felt a lot more passionate, a little bit more romantic, and perhaps that was just because they had both been expecting it to happen this time, but Tony also knew that Ziva was feeling peaceful right now.

He had always known that she loved the outdoors, loved to get some fresh air, and it shined through (somehow) into her kiss. She felt much different like this, and Tony knew instantly that he liked it. She was merely kissing him for the sake of kissing him, because she wanted to and he was here and they had just shared an amazing moment very similar to this inside, only a minute or two ago. He knew that things had changed now. They couldn't just go home after this and pretend like nothing had happened. No, this was the first time in a long time when both he and Ziva were single, and they weren't angry at each other, or recovering from some terrible ordeal. They were free to do as they pleased and be with whoever they like.

As enjoyable as their current state of kissing was, Tony knew he needed to speed things up a little before he just wouldn't be able to hold himself back anymore. And so, he moved his hand down from her cheek and along her side, stopping just above her hip as he let his tongue enter the kiss. He swiped it shyly against her lip, similarly to how Ziva had kissed him inside. She shivered from the feel of his hand and opened up her mouth, allowing his tongue to explore deeper.

Ziva was feeling something that she couldn't quite describe. Perhaps this is what it would feel like if she were to fly. Her stomach was doing mini flip-flops and her brain had gone hazy as she allowed herself to feel nothing else except the way his tongue was exploring her mouth so wonderfully. She had always suspected he would be a talented kisser when he meant it, but she was not expecting this. She was not expecting the sudden urge that overwhelmed her when he bit softly on her lip, making her want to wrap her arms around him tighter and pull him so close to her body that he would be able to feel her heart as it beat madly in her chest. She settled for increasing her pace in the kiss, moving her lips faster and moving her tongue more strongly against his. This seemed to shock him a little and he groaned into her mouth, his hand gripping her waist a little tighter, pulling an involuntary moan from the back of her throat.

Just as things began heating up even more, they somehow both managed to hear the door to the patio open, pulling apart quickly, but still maintaining their grip on each other. Ziva flushed when she turned and saw who it was, quickly pulling her arms back from around Tony.

"Oh, wow. Hi, guys."

"Hey Abs." Tony said, somewhat nervously.

Abby grinned at them and was clearly trying to contain her excitement. Obviously she had caught onto the fact that she had just interrupted something, which wasn't difficult to figure out considering their _extremely _close proximity and the fact that they were both bright red.

Oh, and let's not forget that fact that she'd probably seem them making out on the dance floor, too. Great.

"So, um...you guys having fun?" She asked, adding cheekily, "Enjoying each other?"

Ziva laughed nervously. "Abby..."

"I know, I know." Abby said, putting up her hands, "You want your 'alone time'. I'll just be going now."

Tony nodded. "Thanks abs."

"Oh, but before I go," Abby said, one hand already on the door handle. "You two might want to know that this door locks from the outside."

Abby grinned at them and squealed slightly in excitement before heading back inside. Tony quickly got up and crossed to the door, his hand lingering on the lock before slowly sliding it into place. He turned around to find Ziva looking at him rather shyly.

He grinned at her. "Nu-uh Ziva, you can't sit there and look at me like that after the way you just kissed me. You wanted it even more than I did."

"Oh, I highly doubt that." She said huskily. "I believe I can resist you. I do not, however, believe you can resist me."

Tony's mouth opened. "Oh, is that so? A bit up yourself, aren't you?" He said teasingly.

"Do you question it?"

"Why don't you try and prove that I can't resist you, then?" He challenged. She smirked at him in a way that made him nervous about what he had just gotten himself into. He watched as she raised a finger and motioned for him to come back to the seat.

He sat down the same way he had before, though turning to face toward her this time. He kept himself from touching her, his mouth hanging open slightly as she looked at him with _that _ look on her face, as if she were about to devour him. He swallowed as her hand landed on his leg and started moving upwards, and she leaned in towards him, missing his mouth and shocking him as her lips landed, instead, on his neck.

His eyes closed at the feel of her soft, warm mouth. She moved up to the spot just below his ear, flicking her tongue across his skin so lightly that it made him shiver from pure anticipation. A second later, her tongue licked strongly up towards his ear, finding his earlobe. She brought it between her teeth and teased it slightly, making him groan. His hand instinctively moved back up to her waist, and he gripped her slightly, encouraging her. There was absolutely no way he was going to deny a beautiful, sexy woman access to his neck if she wanted it. Hell, Ziva could keep doing that all day if she wanted to.

As Ziva felt his hand rest on her waist, she tilted her head and whispered in his ear. "I knew you couldn't resist me, Tony."

"As if any man could resist you, Ziva. You are so darn sexy." He said huskily.

She attached her mouth back onto his neck and continued her assault. Her mouth felt warm and her kisses were wet as she let her tongue dance across his skin. Then she bit down on his neck and he yelped, causing her to pull away from him with a grin on her face.

"That wasn't very nice, Ziva." He said, breathlessly.

"Well, sometimes I am a bit...naughty." She said cheekily, biting down slightly on her bottom lip. He held her gaze for a moment, marvelling at the fact that they were even doing this, and used his other hand to pull her head back towards him for another kiss.

It didn't take long for things to heat up this time. Tony's nerves were tingling from her little assault on his neck, and he wasted to time in thrusting his tongue into her mouth, groaning when her own started to tangle with his. He felt Ziva's hand come up to his chest, pushing against him a little, and he realised she wanted him to lie down.

The swing was roomy enough that he could lie down comfortably. As he moved, Ziva followed, her lips never parting more than a couple of centimetres from his. She settled her body on top of his as their lips continued to battle against each other. She shifted position a little and he heard her moan. He wrapped his arms tight around her, ultimately crushing them against each other. Their kiss started to slow down in the need for air, and they parted slowly, as if their lips did not want to separate.

They were both breathing hard, not really believing what had just happened. He noticed that her eyes looked darker and stared back into his with a slight sparkle. He briefly wondered if his own eyes were brighter with happiness, too.

"Wow." She breathed. "I was not expecting that."

"Me neither. You glad it happened? Cause' I sure am."

She smiled and then giggled slightly. "I can tell."

He grinned. "That's just my-"

"Stop talking." She laughed. They both just took some time to look at each other, Ziva bringing up a hand to stroke his hair. He decided to take a chance and just go ahead and ask the question that was on his mind.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

**Ok, so that's all for Chapter 2!**

**Sorry for any errors I may have missed, I did proof-read, but It is 1am, so...**

**To answer some reviews in general:**

**You got some more making out. YAY**

**I agree that this needs to happen on the show! I would probably shout in pure joy, also.**

**This story is definitely NOT done. I am not sure how many chapters there will be, as I don't plan ahead or plan chapters or anything. I literally start typing and it just flows.**

**And that's all! Please review again :) Thoughts?**

**xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I am so sorry that I take so long to update! Uni has been occupying my life lately. **

**I really hope you all enjoy this chapter. It turned out being a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. **

**I just realised that I don't remember writing a disclaimer so...yeah, I do not own ncis or any of its characters :).**

**On with the chapter...**

Tony and Ziva took a cab back to the hotel that had been booked out for the wedding guests. Though Tony hadn't had nearly as much to drink as Ziva had, it was still enough for him to know that he wasn't really in any position to drive. On the ride back to the hotel, which was a good 15 minutes away, Tony clasped onto Ziva's hand and didn't let go. Honestly, he probably would have started making out with her right there on the back seat if it weren't for the fact that the driver would see everything they were doing. So, he settled for the warm feeling of her smooth hand in his, watching her occasionally as she stared out of the window. She seemed quite wrapped up in whatever it was she was looking at, so he leaned over to look out the window too. He spotted the last rays of a sunset streaming across the sky and knew that it held her attention.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's beautiful, yes?"

He nodded. "It looks even better than it did half an hour ago."

She smiled and shifted in her seat so that she was now sitting on a slight angle and facing him. She leant her head against the back of the seat, looking into his eyes and smiling at him. Tony mirrored her actions and leant his head against the seat too, squeezing her hand slightly, which made her smile wider. They held their gaze with one another for a few minutes before he noticed that her eyes were starting to droop.

"Feeling tired?" He asked.

She nodded, her eyes now fully closed. "Mhmm.."

He chuckled at her. "You look cute when you're tired."

She smiled a little at that. "I am sure I do not, but thank you anyway, Tony."

"Of course you do. You always look cute, anyway."

"Even when I am mad at you?" She asks.

He laughed lightly. "Especially then, beautiful."

She opens her eyes and looks at him again. "You will have to stop with all these compliments, or I just might start getting used to it."

Smiling, Tony lifts his head off of the back of the seat and leans forward, kissing her softly on the lips. Neither cared about whether or not the driver was watching them in that moment, choosing instead to focus on the feel of each other's lips which were quickly becoming familiar to both of them.

After a few moments, Tony pulled away and straightened, Ziva doing the same. Their hands stayed connected between them as they snuck glances at each other. They both knew that the hotel was not so far away anymore, and soon they would have all the time in the world to be alone together.

Tony knew that he didn't want to sleep with her tonight. Well, actually, he _wanted_ to, he just knew that it would be moving things along too fast. _Which is ironic_, he thinks, _because I've been waiting far too long for this very moment._

He had a feeling that Ziva had been waiting a long time too, or at least maybe she'd thought about sleeping with him in the past. Tony had always suspected that the lack of personal space between them and the inappropriate touching that occurred frequently between them when Ziva had first joined the team was more than just a little game. He always felt that extra spark between them that indicated there was something more within those moments. He just hadn't been able to figure out what it was back then.

He silently mulls over the fact that it was most likely lust which drove their actions in the early days. But now, he knew that it was much more. He had come to care about her, and he hoped that she had, in turn, grown to care for him also. Since things had started to change between them (ever since Jeanne, really), he had noticed over the years that their teasing touches and invading of each other's space had lessened. He wondered if that change correlated with the change of lusting for each other to caring for each other.

He had barely noticed the time fly by as he sat in his own little world, and before he knew it they had pulled up outside of the hotel. He came back to his senses and climbed out of the cab, Ziva following behind him. He turned to pay the driver and thank him, walking away from the cab and towards Ziva, who had moved to stand near the entrance to the lobby. She took his hand again as he came up beside her, making him smile, and wordlessly pulled him along with her through the lobby, into the elevator, and eventually, down the hallway towards her room.

They had been placed in separate rooms, both of them singles, however the rooms were located on the same floor. His and Ziva's were also on the same side of the building, while Abby's and Mcgee's single rooms were located a little further around. Gibbs and Ducky had been given a room to share, being old friends, and Tony was thankful that theirs was located around the other side of the building completely, which lowered the risk of Gibbs catching him should he have to sneak back to his room in the morning.

He doubted Gibbs would appreciate Tony sleeping in Ziva's bed.

Tony found himself wondering if they'd both even fit in one single bed, until Ziva opened the door to her room and Tony realised that the bed was much wider than the average single bed. The two of them could fit on it comfortably.

_If she even lets you stay, DiNozzo. _He thought. _Don't go getting ahead of yourself._

He could do nothing but stand near the doorway like an idiot and watch her walk towards the bed. He was expecting her to lay down on it but instead she stopped at one side and turned towards him. She tilted her head to the side as if confused about the fact that he was still standing at the door, but then she smiled and beckoned him towards her with a curved finger.

He walked towards her slowly and watched her eyes as they focused on his form. He stopped in front of her and snaked his hands around her lower back. Her own hands rested softly on his chest.

"Did you think I was going to reject you or something?" She asked, referring to when he had stayed standing at the door, as if unsure of what to do.

He smiled shyly. "Maybe."

She looked him right in the eyes. "I would never reject anything from you." She smiled, a cheeky look in her eyes, and he understands exactly what she means by that sentence.

'_I wouldn't reject you if you tried to sleep with me.'_ Is what she really meant.

He chuckles a little. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking..." He started, unsure of how to word the next sentence, "I don't think that it would be a good idea for us to go there."

"Really?" She asked.

"At this moment." He added. "I just...don't want to rush into things, you know? I just hoped to spend the night with you tonight."

She smiled at him and stroked his chest gently. "I would really love to spend the night with you too."

"I'm glad to hear that." He said, pulling her closer to him. He noticed the way that her hands grabbed onto his suit jacket in response to the movement.

Ziva couldn't stand the anticipation. They were so close that she could almost taste his delicious lips already. She inched her own mouth even closer to his, brushing her lips so lightly against him that she wasn't sure he'd even register the feeling. When his breath caught slightly she knew that he'd felt it. And when she suddenly felt the pressure and warmth of his kiss she knew that it had also affected him in the way she'd hoped.

Ziva removed her hands from his jacket and placed them on the sides of his face. She turned on the spot so that her back was towards the bed, before leaning backwards and pulling him softly down onto the bed with her. They shifted a little and Tony settled himself on top of her, one of his hands now tangling in her hair, while the other was resting near her ribs. Ziva's own hands had moved of their own accord and were now rubbing his back, encouraging his body closer to hers.

Their lips moved together with ease, settling into their own little rhythm that had been established almost an hour ago, now. Ziva couldn't control herself any longer and brought his bottom lip into her mouth, sucking on it harshly before biting down gently. Tony retaliated by biting her own bottom lip, and Ziva pulled away to chuckle at his playfulness.

Tony watched as she dropped her head to the bed to laugh, noticing how the action had left her silky neck exposed to him. He grasped the opportunity to get her back for the stunt she'd pulled on him earlier and leant down to attach his mouth firmly to her neck.

Ziva couldn't hold back the moan that spilled from her lips when she felt Tony's eager kiss on her neck. She felt his tongue dart out to run across her skin and felt her body relax, offering herself up to his talents. All she could do was turn her head to give him better access as his assault on her neck continued.

Tony moved his mouth up towards her ear, trailing his tongue along her skin, and heard her breathing pick up noticeably. He wondered if he'd already discovered a spot that she loved, and continued to kiss the spot below her ear slowly and deliberately. He soon felt her hand pushing down on the top of his head, trying to move him.

"Lower." She breathed, and guided his head down to her collarbone. It was a sensitive spot for her and one of her favourite places to be kissed.

She felt him pause briefly and she wondered what he was doing, before she suddenly felt his hot tongue lick directly across her collarbone. She gasped and moaned loudly as he repeated the action. Encouraged by her sounds, Tony settled his mouth on the spot and began to kiss her slowly, dragging his tongue lazily over her skin. It seemed to do the trick and she arched into him.

"Oh...god, Tony." She moaned. Her fingers were gripping tightly onto his hair and her mouth was hanging open, trying desperately to get some air into her lungs. No one had ever kissed her the way that he was doing right now, with such care and gentleness, but at the same time making her feel overwhelmingly hot. The things he was doing with her tongue were sending signals straight to her core and she willed herself to calm down, knowing that he didn't want to go there tonight.

He switched sides and started the same treatment on her other collarbone. She moved her lips towards his own neck and licked a slow path up to his ear, making him moan against her. She settled her head back down again and reluctantly pulled his head away from her neck, to join their lips back together. She immediately thrust her tongue into his mouth, tasting him greedily. They savoured the feeling of each other's mouths before slowly pulling away.

They rested their foreheads together and tried to control their heavy breathing. Tony dropped a brief kiss to her lips, unable to resist, and then started to sit up. Ziva moved to sit up also, knowing that if their little make-out session continued for much longer with that same passion, she wouldn't last five minutes without ripping his clothes off.

"I will be right back." She said, still breathless, and Tony watched as she got up from the bed and walked towards the bathroom. He heard nothing for a while and then heard the running tap. She soon returned and Tony noticed that she had removed her make-up. He shifted to the edge of the bed to watch her as she stopped at her suitcase on the floor, pulling out what appeared to be a change of underwear, some shorts, and a pyjama top.

He couldn't stop his next words. "Leave the shorts."

She raised his eyebrows at him, as if asking him if he was serious. After seeing no evidence otherwise, she smirked and dropped the shorts on top of the bag, turning back to the bathroom to change.

Tony silently cheered at the fact that she felt comfortable enough to sleep next to him in nothing but underwear and a shirt. He grinned and began to remove his own clothing, setting his suit pants and jacket neatly on the floor. He started looking around and realised he had nothing to wear to bed except his underwear. The door to the bathroom opened back up and they both stared at each other's barely covered forms as she crossed to the closet to hang up her dress.

"Umm, I might just duck over to my room and grab some tracksuit pants or something." He said, leaning down to pick up his suit pants so he wasn't walking to his room almost completely naked.

Just as he was about to start putting them back on, he heard her speak.

"Leave the pants." She said, repeating his words from earlier. He looked up at her in surprise.

"You...you want me to sleep in my underwear?" He asked, unsure.

"Uh-huh." She answered, pulling back the sheets of the bed and sliding between them. Tony couldn't help but stare at her perfectly toned legs as they disappeared out of sight between the sheets. She pulled the blankets up to cover her body completely.

"It is only fair." She said cheekily.

"Well," He started, "If you're wearing a shirt and I'm not, then it's not really fair. So...you know maybe I'll just go over and grab a shirt, then."

She shrugged. "I have another way to make it fair."

"Yeah?" He asked. "What's that?"

His eyes were glued to her as she sat up in the bed and reached for the hem of her shirt. She had almost pulled it up past her breasts before he realised what she was doing.

"Woah, woah! Keep your shirt on, gorgeous." She paused, looking up at him innocently. "Otherwise I might just lose it."

She grinned at him and lowered her shirt back down.

"Sleeping like this is fine." He concluded, pulling back the sheets also and climbing into bed with her.

There wasn't much room for them to do anything else except snuggle up to each other, so after placing a soft, lingering kiss on her lips, he motioned for her to turn around. She settled with her back against him and his arm reached around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I'd just like to apologize in advance..." He said, watching as she turned her head slightly towards him to listen. "I'm sorry if you wake up with something hard against your back."

She giggled into her pillow and he grinned.

**Thanks for reading! **

**Review if you feel like it :P**

**xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so first of all I am SO sorry for leaving such a huge gap between updates. Uni just filled up all my time but I'm free now so I decided to get this chapter up. I admit, I've actually had it written for a while (well, most of it), and just hadn't typed it all yet. **

**This chapter is a little more...emotionally heavy than the last ones, and slightly more romantic. Nothing too sappy though (I hope).**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Did I mention, I'm sorry?**

Ziva was settled for the night. Her television was playing softly in the background as she sat reclined in the couch. She wasn't really aware of the program, her focus instead directed on the book in her lap and the glass of wine in her hands. She took a sip, savouring it, before being interrupted by a knock at her door. She set the wine down and her book aside and stood to answer it, though she had a feeling she already knew who it was going to be.

"Tony." Ziva greeted. "You do realise we just got back only a few hours ago?"

"Yeah, I know, but...I just missed you, and I guess I really shouldn't miss you already but I did and I'm here and I just...yeah." He finished awkwardly. "Can I come in?"

She smiled. "Of course." He walked past her as she stood aside. She watched as he looked around her apartment, this having been the first time he'd seen it since she'd moved in some time ago. She looked around and suddenly wished she would've cleaned up a little.

"I like your place." He said, "It's nice. Very nice."

"Thank you. I apologise if it is a little bit messy."

He shook his head. "It's not. Got a really nice homey feel to it, though. Never would've picked you for an interior designer. Maybe you missed your calling."

She shrugged. "I just pick out what I like."

"Well then you have good taste, I have to say."

She smiled. "Thanks. But I assume you did not come here just to compliment me on my interior designing skills."

"Uh, no, I didn't." He walked towards her and grabbed her hands. "I was wondering if we could talk. You know, about what happened between us at the wedding."

She looked up at him, concerned. "Should I be worried?"

"I don't know. It depends on how you want this to turn out."

She took a moment to choose her next words, hoping that he was not going to make her regret saying them. "I, um...I feel that you are important to me, and I care about you a lot. And I had a really great time with you these last couple of days."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Well, I just feel like there's more. Come on, tell me what you're thinking." He asked.

She sighed and looked down at their joined hands. "And...I really hope that things can continue."

He couldn't help the smile on his face. "Me too, Ziva. I care about you so much, you make me feel special and alive and just amazing. That night was crazy and a little spontaneous but I feel like we've always been like that, you and me. It just feels right."

She smiled back at him. "Yeah, it does." She spoke softly. Leaning up to him, she met him half way and their lips joined once again. Ziva's mind started to drift; his kisses always seemed to cloud her thoughts and redirect all her focus to his lips. Just before she was about to take things further, he pulled away.

"So, do you want to do this?" He asked, searching for confirmation. "You and me?"

She nodded, thinking that there was definitely nothing she wanted more.

"Well good, because I would be very upset if you said no. You are just too irresistible, Ziva David." He bent down to kiss her again, with more vigour this time, and Ziva almost let herself collapse into his arms. His taste was overwhelming and wonderful, and his scent was putting her mind in a haze once again. She liked this feeling; in fact, she loved this feeling.

Ziva slowly pulled back and looked him in the eyes, still in a slight daze. "I think I'm addicted to you." She breathed.

Tony grinned. "Ah, don't worry, it happens to everyone." Ziva slapped him lightly on the arm. "Hey...I'm only joking."

She smiled. "I know. But I'm serious. I get this feeling...this wonderful feeling, every time you kiss me. It's like the rest of the world just falls away and doesn't matter anymore." She finished quietly. "And that is very unlike me, allowing that to happen. I guess I just trust you."

He reached up and smoothed her hair back from her face, his hand remaining there. "I'm so glad you do, Ziva because I trust you with my life. I love the way I feel when I'm with you, too. I've never really had this before, so much comfort and ease in a relationship. It just doesn't usually happen, you know?"

She nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. I never felt this safe with Ray. Definitely not with Michael, either."

"I kind of feel like the universe has spoken, with us."

She laughed lightly. "What?"

"Well, it's like this was destined. There have been so many moments that seemed so horrible at the time, but those moments got us here. They built up that trust. They strengthened us. I feel like we wouldn't be standing here together right now if they hadn't happened."

Ziva nodded and thought back. "Ari coming into your lives. Kate's death. Michael. Somalia."

"Me following you to that pool and feasting my eyes upon you."Tony added jokingly. She hit him again. "What? I'm just saying, you're easy on the eyes."

"Hm. I suppose you're not too bad yourself, Tony."

"Well, I'm glad to have your approval." He smiled and grabbed her hand again. "Come over to the couch?" She followed him and sat down next to him, draping her legs across his lap.

He absentmindedly began running his hand across her bare thighs, and Ziva started to question whether wearing shorts had been a good idea. Her skin was tingling under his touch.

"What're you watching?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the screen. It took Ziva a few seconds to process his words, as she found herself distracted by the feel of his hands on her.

"Um...I have no idea."

He must've sensed her odd tone, because he turned his had to glance at her, only to find her eyes focused on his hand. He started to pull it away, but she grabbed onto his wrist firmly before he got too far.

"You don't have to stop." She whispered. "I liked it."

"Yeah?" He asked softly. The vibe in the room had definitely taken a huge shift since a minute ago.

"Yes." She answered, and let go of his wrist. His hand moved back to her thigh, stroking it gently in a repetitive motion. She could feel a tingly sensation throughout her body, and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

Tony reluctantly took his eyes off her for a second to find the remote and switch the tv off. When he looked back at her, she was staring at his hand in a way that made him feel a little bold.

He slowly crept his hand further up her thigh. Brushing along the inside of her left leg, he allowed his fingertips to graze dangerously close to her most sensitive area. Her soft gasp gave him the satisfaction he was seeking.

He repeated the motion again and Ziva knew that if they didn't stop soon she would be putty in his hands. She would surely be willing to let him do anything he wanted to her. Ziva fought an internal battle and decided that things needed to stop.

Voice slightly hazy, she stopped him. "Tony. I'm sorry. But I really don't think that we should do this...yet." She swallowed. "I don't want to rush things. Rushing could end...badly."

He looked slightly disappointed but Ziva also saw understanding in his eyes. "Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. It's not that I don't want you. It's just that, uh, I want 'it' to be special. This just feels a little too soon. We've barely even gotten started."

He nodded. "Do you think I should go, then?"

"Yeah. If you stayed tonight, I think I'd end up betraying my own suggestion."

"Yes, I am very tempting, aren't I?"

Ziva smirked. "Shush. You're going to turn me off if you keep talking like that."

"Oh, well we can't have that." Tony stood up from the couch and Ziva followed. He walked to her door and stopped in front of it, turning to face her. "I'll see you at work tomorrow?"

She nodded. Tony suddenly cupped her face and leant in for a gentle kiss. Ziva smiled into his lips, taken by surprise. As he pulled away, he leant his forehead against hers.

"I really, really like you Ziva." He spoke softly. Before she could respond, he'd kissed her once again and left her apartment, leaving Ziva standing in front of her door questioning whether she'd made the right decision in letting him leave.

**As always, let me know what you think! **

**By the way, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, it's nice to hear your thoughts :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Heyyy...**

**Well I really have no excuse for taking so long to get another chapter out except for the fact that I had absolutely no inspiration for a loooonnnggg time. Anyway, I finally sat down and wrote out the next chapter. By the way, it's midnight when I'm typing this so I apologise if I misspell things or leave out a word or something. Not the most interesting chapter, but I will try and make the next one better :).**

Chapter 5

It had been only 7 hours since he had left her apartment, but Ziva could not help missing Tony the next morning as she completed her morning routine and got ready for work. She missed him every morning, really. Even before things had...happened. She had always tried to push the thoughts aside because she'd been unsure of their meaning and confused as to why she was missing him in the first place. But today she let her thoughts dwell on him and found comfort in the fact that she would be around him all day. Though, it would be difficult to keep herself under control. Abby already knew about their relationship, but they would have to keep their distance around everyone else. Gibbs probably knew already; that man seems to know _everything_, no matter how hard you try and keep it a secret. Ziva wondered if he would say anything at all or leave them completely unaware. He'd enjoy watching them squirm.

As she climbed into her car and headed towards NCIS, she found her thoughts drifting to Tony once again, and she swore her lips began to tingle in anticipation of his own.

Tony sat patiently at his desk as he awaited his partner's arrival. He'd only arrived five minutes ago, but it already felt like he'd been there an eternity waiting for her. It shocked him how much he wanted her to be there _right now_, even if all she was going to be able to do is sit across from him and stare at her own computer. He didn't mind. He'd watch her when she was confused – she always made this cute little face – and he'd spend the rest of his time daydreaming about her lips and how soft they were, perfectly fitting with his own.

He jolted a little in his seat when he heard the elevator doors open, and glanced up in hope. Sure enough, there she was, casually striding into the bullpen and taking a seat at her desk without so much as a glance in his direction. He was almost offended, until she suddenly lifted her eyes to meet his, mouthing a quick 'hi'. He grinned back at her.

"Good morning Mcgee" Ziva spoke.

"Hey Ziva" he answered, looking up. Tony noticed him shoot a quick glance between himself and Ziva, and narrowed his eyes. "Uh, how'd you guys like the wedding?"

"It was fine." Tony answered quickly, "Why do you ask, probie?"

"Uhh, no reason. Just wondering if you enjoyed yourselves, you know."

Ziva's eyes were narrowed in suspicion now, too. "You sure that's all it is, McGee? You look nervous."

McGee stuttered, "Ahhh...no, nope not nervous. Just curious. And ah, feeling a little chatty."

"Been chatting to Abby lately, have you?" Tony asked, standing up from his desk to make his way towards McGee's.

"We may have spoken, yeah." McGee says quietly. Ziva had now joined him at the desk and now stood with her arms folded across her chest. The two stared at him stubbornly until he faltered. Looking away, McGee admitted, "Okay...so, she _may _have told me about you guys."

Tony continued to stare. "Told you what, exactly, McGossip?"

He was silent for another moment. "She told me that she saw you guys kissing at the reception, and that you wanted to be alone."

Tony nodded, "Mhm...is that all?"

"Uhhh...should there be more?" McGee asked, "_Is _there more?"

Tony looked over at Ziva. She had now uncrossed her arms and looked far less intimidating than she had thirty seconds ago. "Well, Tim." She spoke, "We shared the same bed that night, but nothing happened. We also spent the evening together last night, but once again, _nothing happened_."

"I went home after we'd talked for a while. So don't go spreading any rumours that we've finally 'done the deed', I don't want people getting the wrong idea about this, okay?"

"Tony, I promise I'd never spread rumours about you. But, what wrong idea would people be getting exactly?" McGee said, looking genuinely confused.

Ziva looked over at Tony and held his gaze for a moment before answering quietly, "People may think that Tony and I have jumped right in to sex. They may not understand that this relationship is serious. They may think we are just playing around." Tim nodded, he completely understood – they had been through so much over the past few months particularly, that he knew this relationship would be nothing short of deep and meaningful. He knew Tony had changed his ways dramatically, and Ziva seemed to want to settle down, finally. Telling people that all they wanted was to sleep together would be an insult to them.

"But it is serious, McGee." Ziva spoke softly. She smiled. "Just so you know."

"We care about each other" Tony adds, "We were just too stupid to tell each other sooner." Tony quickly reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze before letting go. Ziva gave him a small smile.

"Well, I'm really happy for you guys," McGee said, "You two deserve to have each other."

Unfortunately, Tony's work for the morning (which involved him typing random letters into his computer whilst watching Ziva scan old case files) was interrupted by a phone call to Gibbs which ended with "Grab your gear, dead navy officer." Tony pulled himself out of Ziva-land and picked up his backpack, following the rest of the team to the elevator.

At the scene, Ziva and Tony and been asked to bag anything worth looking at within 50 meters of the body while Tim took witness statements. Having crime scenes in the woods was never his favourite – being outdoorsy was more of a McGee thing – but he was glad to be paired with Ziva in a place with several large trees to use to block a certain someone's view.

He caught her off guard, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her behind a nearby tree. She squealed slightly from surprise but laughed at his actions as she found herself pinned against the tree by Tony's frame with his arms on either side of her.

"Tony, what on earth?" She asked quietly.

He grinned. "I really wanted to kiss you."

"But-"

He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. Ziva tensed for a few moments but he then felt her melt into his kiss. After a few seconds he pulled away.

"Tony, Gibbs is in the vicinity, you know!" She whispered warningly. "He could see us."

Tony shook his head. "Don't worry sweetheart, he's still all the way over there." He pressed his lips to her once again, this time bringing one hand up to her hair. Ziva reciprocated the motion and allowed herself to surrender. There was nothing she loved more than his kisses – they left her breathless and craving more. She lifted her leg slightly and felt him hook his other arm around it, hitching it up even further. He pressed her harder against the tree and she heard herself moan. He pulled away.

"Shhhh, ninja. Surely stealth is a part of your training?"

"Hmmm, sorry. Stealth doesn't happen when I'm horny." She smirked.

He chuckled and ran his eyes down her body quickly. "You know, I feel like it's about to become very difficult for me to keep a certain part of anatomy to myself."

"Welll..." she started, leaning in close to his ear. "That doesn't mean we can't do...other things to occupy ourselves later, you know."

He groaned and closed his eyes, pressing a kiss to her neck. He could not wait for later.

**Well ,that's all for this one, guys. Sorry again for making you wait all this time!  
For the next chapter, I was thinking I might have a go at describing their 'activities'..if you know what I mean. It won't be sex, but there would be other things. It wouldn't be explicitly detailed (I don't think), but anyway, just let me know how you'd feel about that. **

**Thank you!**


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